The leaders of the organization’s 54 countries, representing 2.6 billion people, are meeting in Kigali this week.
The leaders of the 54 Commonwealth countries meet in Rwanda this week for a summit organized at a time when the future of Elizabeth II’s . The summit, originally scheduled for June 2020 but postponed several times due to the pandemic, aims to “strengthen multilateral cooperation, explore new opportunities and tackle common challenges for the well-being of future generations”. An ambitious project for a Commonwealth whose role and relevance are increasingly being questioned at a time of transition for the British monarchy and the questioning of the colonial past.
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The Commonwealth, headed by Queen Elizabeth II, is a federation of 54 member states, including 15 kingdoms, often former territories of the British Empire. The organization encompasses 2.6 billion people, or a third of humanity. The 96-year-old monarch has chaired the meetings of the heads of government since her accession to the throne in 1952, but will be replaced this year for the first time by her son Prince Charles for the summit meetings scheduled for Friday and Saturday. The heir to the throne, who is visiting Rwanda for the first time, is set to meet survivors of the 1994 genocide that killed 800,000 people, mostly members of the Tutsi minority, according to the UN.
His actions are being closely watched for his alleged criticism, according to The Times newspaper, of what the British government has described as “appalling” plans to return asylum-seekers to Rwanda. The first departures were canceled by the courts at the last moment last week. Enough to predict an awkward interview with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, an ardent defender of the system, who is also expected in Kigali. The government project, which aims to curb illegal crossings by relieving the burden on the reception of asylum seekers, has been criticized by human rights organizations as well as by the UN. “Commonwealth member states must seize the opportunity presented in Kigali to denounce this inhumane agreement and to put pressure on the UK and Rwanda to end the device,” said Deprose Muchena, Amnesty International’s director for the East and South Africa.
“Climate of Fear”
In Kigali, schools in the Rwandan capital are closed and many roads are closed while a vital safety device has been installed. Commonwealth country flags fly at the airport and the local government has multiplied international communication videos to improve its image. The choice of Rwanda to host the summit is controversial. The country, which has been ruled by Paul Kagame since the end of the 1994 genocide, is regularly accused by NGOs of suppressing freedom of expression, criticism and political opposition. “Rwanda does not respect Commonwealth values, democracy, rule of law, human rights, freedom of expression,” Victoire Ingabire, the Rwandan opposition leader, told AFP. A “climate of fear” prevails, far from the image the country is trying to convey, with an estimated twenty civil society organizations in early June denouncing the increase in disappearances, arbitrary arrests, torture and extrajudicial executions. “The Commonwealth’s silence on human rights in Rwanda risks undermining the organization’s mandate in this area, as well as its integrity and credibility,” the NGOs warned.
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Especially as the summit comes amid voices within the Commonwealth to abandon the monarchy, following the example of Barbados, which became a republic in November. In March, Prince William, the Queen’s grandson, embarked on a wild tour of the Caribbean that was criticized for its colonialist undertones. Allegations that Prince Charles also suffered a few weeks later during a visit to Canada. “The new generation wants to question the history of the British Empire, which is good,” said Meghnad Desai, a British economist and former Labor politician.